LOG BY LOG
Fifty years ago, in 1970,
Sissy Jones was driving
along a highway in
Pine Bluff, Arkansas,
when she spotted a log
cabin dating from the
1920s and decided it
would be perfect for her
antique furniture and
restoration business.
She convinced the
owners not to demolish
it and instead to rent it
to her for $50 a month.
She first ventured
into jewelry when a
customer requested
her help in selling
her mother’s jewels.
Jones maintained both
businesses until her
son Bill joined her in
1984 and they decided
to concentrate on
jewelry only.
The original cabin
(pictured) had a toilet
on the porch and no
hot water. In 1991, they
built a 5,000-square-
foot store adjacent to
the existing one. Ten
years later, they doubled
the square footage but
demolished the original
cabin. At the height of
the 2008 recession, they
expanded to Little Rock,
where they already
had market exposure
via their advertising.
Other Arkansas stores
followed in Jonesboro
and the college town of
Conway, with another in
Memphis, Tennessee.
sissyslogcabin.com
above” expectations. Overall, he estimates that
sales for the four months were down about
.
The company also emerged “healthier” as a
result of the slowdown, he says. “We reinvented
ourselves. We had a large inventory that was
paid for but was old and hadn’t been selling for
a long time.”
He curtailed buying for several months, which
allowed the store to focus on more salable items.
“We got creative and pulled our jewelers together
and repurposed our jewelry,” he elaborates, citing a
“big piece with carats of melee” that they broke
down, using the gold for bridal and fashion. “We
had never done this before. It was always easier to
order another piece.”
While bridal is still strong, Jones identifies a
new trend in buying. “We see people rewarding
themselves with jewelry,” he explains, noting that
there is “a lot of money out there because people
aren’t going on vacation or buying clothes.” But
he has also observed a shift in mind-set, with
customers selecting pieces that will last a long time
and “transition from generation to generation.”
A TIME TO PROMOTE
Given the Covid- restrictions, staging
promotional events has required some creativity.
While sales of Rolex, which the store carries at
three of its locations, have remained robust, the
Memphis branch invited its top Rolex customers
to a bourbon and cigar event in its parking lot.
“Normally, we can’t get these customers to come to
a party, and now they were sitting in lawn chairs,”
remarks Jones, who wasn’t surprised by the
number of sales at the event.
In a fortunate case of timing, Sissy’s Log Cabin
had devoted a lot of time before the pandemic to
developing its website’s e-commerce functionality,
he adds. The company also successfully increased
its engagement on social media. Its “Ideally
Flawless” Facebook videos, for instance, featured
a different designer weekly and drew ,
to
,
viewers.
Training also plays a critical role in the store’s
success. “We work at it,” Jones states. He has
a dedicated employee to train staff on a daily
basis, and he personally schedules weekly Friday
morning Zoom calls to communicate with the staff
in all five stores to provide further guidance.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITIES
Being family-owned, Sissy’s Log Cabin is well-
positioned to take advantage of opportunities and
withstand the challenges of the market, Jones
asserts. The business can make decisions and
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DIAMONDS.NET
respond quickly, especially since it is not burdened
with debt.
“Movement — up or down — creates
opportunities,” he says, pointing to the current
economy. “Stores are closing, and people are selling
off their inventory. They’ve stopped advertising.
We started our expansion in
, which had to be
the worst time. But that is when you can get market
share. I’m thrilled with this opportunity.”
For him, “the lasting lesson is that you have to
appreciate every sale — even the
sale. At least
you’re moving some merchandise and generating
cash flow.”
Relationships make a difference. Jones
references a three-page handwritten letter that
one customer sent him because she was so pleased
with the store’s service in remodeling her mother’s
diamond ring.
“We wow our customers,” he says. “We like
to have a good time and welcome them into our
stores as we would into our homes. If you build a
relationship, then they are not that worried about
price, and they will come back again to shop in
your store. They are your friend. And that is how we
conduct our business and live our lives.”
“IF YOU BUILD A RELATIONSHIP,
THEN [CLIENTS] ARE NOT THAT
WORRIED ABOUT PRICE, AND
THEY WILL COME BACK AGAIN
TO SHOP IN YOUR STORE”
